Category: Post Business

Hello Comrades, Thanks to all who volunteered at this year’s Seafood Festival in Ballard. It was hot, but our membership is hotter, and we continued making connections in the community, which may gain us a couple of new members! This is why we leave the walls of our post to meet veterans and let the community know we are present and active. It was good to see new and not-so-new members bonding and representing our post. This post truly represents the best of our nation and its ideals.  I am heading to the VFW conference in Columbus the day after our business meeting. Please, tell me what I need to ask on your behalf. I have questions, and I am sure you do too. Let me raise questions for our membership to National.  As we move into the fall, let’s set a few priorities: – Our Christmas event must be fantastic.  Let’s hear ideas on how to ensure it remains memorable, as always.  – Essay Contest participation.  If you know youth in this age range, please encourage their involvement.  These soft connects are another route to getting word out. – Traditions.  There is a tendency to see tradition as outdated or quaint in certain mindsets, but our organization should not be too quick to turn away from the mythos underpinning our beliefs.  At business meetings let’s make an effort to adhere to our traditions. At your service, H2

As I write my final newsletter commentary as Commander of Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063, I find myself both grateful and hopeful. Thanks to the work of the UW Foster MBA team, I believe we’re standing at the edge of a turning point.

Over the past quarter, this group of six veteran MBA candidates worked closely with our Post to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where we can go from here. Their findings confirmed what many of us have felt: the Post has heart, history, and potential, but without deliberate action, we risk stagnation and failure.

Now is the time to seize the moment.

The recommendations we received weren’t abstract theory. They were grounded in the voices of our members: young and old, new and longtime. They told us we need to modernize our outreach, reimagine our events, and foster a stronger leadership pipeline. Most of all, they reminded us that we cannot wait for “someone else” to do the work. That someone is each of us.

We need members to step up. That doesn’t mean signing up for full-time roles or burning yourself out. It means saying yes…yes to helping organize a single event, yes to mentoring a new member, yes to attending a meeting, or simply bringing a friend. Small actions build momentum, and momentum builds community.

As I pass the torch to Comrade Harold Hamilton, I do so with immense pride in what we’ve done and with great expectations for what’s ahead. Our Post doesn’t need to be what it was in 1965 or 1985. It needs to be what our members and community need it to be today.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I look forward to standing alongside you in the next chapter, not as your Commander, but as your comrade.

In comradeship,
Commander Alyson Teeter